Lagrella, the Magpie | A Bant Pixie Combo Deck Tech

Lagrella, the Magpie | Art by Serena Malyon

Hey nerds! In my previous article, I discussed the power of Nurturing Pixie and why I believed it was an underplayed powerhouse. In this week's article, I'm going to showcase a Bant deck created around it featuring Lagrella, the Magpie as the commander.

You might be thinking: why bother building a deck around Nurturing Pixie when you can just build a traditional Blink deck? Well, for starters, Pixie decks like this are much lower to the ground. The deck only has two five-drops, Mulldrifter and Solitude, which can be evoked for much cheaper, plus two four-drops being The One Ring and Displacer Kitten, which are essentially finishers.

And, this isn't a style of deck I often see in Commander.

There is a comment on my previous article I want to address before diving into the deck tech. They said "I think it's not used as much because white is replete with blink and flicker engines that do this same thing, but don't require you to pay to recast a spell." This is true — Blink decks have plenty of powerful options that don't require you to recast a spell. They even mentioned cards like Felidar Guardian, Teleportation Circle, and Eerie Interlude. These spells are staples for a reason, and it's because they're good. But Pixie effects have a few upsides I think are worth mentioning.

1. Pixie effects tend to be cheap. Most of the Pixie effects in the deck top out at two mana.
2. They themselves make great targets for blink spells.
3. Unlike some blink spells, they can protect permanents by returning them to your hand. Not just creatures either. They can even protect lands if needed.
4. Sometimes you'll want to recast a spell. Shardless Agent and The One Ring are prime examples. You don't get their ability if you just blink it.

I'm not saying you should run out to replace all of your blink spells with Nurturing Pixie effects. But I'd try swapping out one or two more expensive nonpermanent spells for them just to see how it performs.

Okay, with all the preamble out of the way, let's jump into the deck tech!

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What Does Lagrella, the Magpie Do?

Lagrella is a straightforward commander. She temporarily exiles creatures and if they come back under your control, they get two counters. Easy. Her ability not only lets you save a key creature for later, but also exiles opponents' creatures. It's also a great political tool, where you can remove a pesky threat for another player. The deck isn't built around her, so if she's removed a few times, it won't hinder the game plan.

Now unlike how I usually build decks, Lagrella was the last card I added. I knew the game plan I wanted, so I picked a commander that facilitates the game plan. However, there are some other great options, if you don't mind the higher casting cost.

Aang, at the Crossroads was on the short list for commanders. His ability gets every creature, aside from Solitude and Mulldrifter, and he's easy to flip. Roon of the Hidden Realm is an old-school Blink commander that would be fine in the deck and would allow you to reset Nurturing Pixie, but felt too slow.

Finally, Amareth, the Lustrous is a powerful value engine, but at six mana, felt too pricey given the low curve.

I'm sure you're thinking: how does a deck like this win? Well, the answer is simply combo. Okay, also just outvaluing your opponents, but it's mostly combo. There are a few combo lines, which I'll get into later, to help close out the game. There is a backup beatdown strategy with tokens, but that'll only work when you're down to a 1v1. This deck can grind games and accrue value turn after turn.

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Key Cards

The "Pixies"

For a deck like this to work you need a density of bounce effects. My personal favorites are the flash creatures such as Ambrosia Whiteheart, Sunpearl Kirin, and Whitemane Lion. They let you blank opponents' removal, protect permanents from board wipes, and be looped right before your turn for value.

Then there are the regular two-drops with Aviary Mechanic, Dream Stalker, and Kor Skyfisher, and of course the one-drops with Nurturing Pixie and Shrieking Drake. I do want to point out that some of these aren't optional triggers and force you to return a creature or permanent to your hand.

Equipment Package

This might seem like an odd inclusion, but if you have the budget for it, I'd highly recommend it.

Cloud, Midgar Mercenary and Stoneforge Mystic are often found in dedicated Equipment decks. But in this deck, I'm using them to tutor up the few Equipment worth including. The three I think are must-includes are Assimilation Aegis, Pre-War Formalwear, and Skullclamp.

Assimilation Aegis can take a threat from your opponent and turn it against them. Pre-War Formalwear is a great equipment to recast to recur key creatures. And Skullclamp is the white Ancestral Recall, if you attach it to Cloud. Finally, Assassin Gauntlet is a niche piece of Equipment that can turn the tide of a game by opening up an opponent for a lethal swing.

The Game Changers

Selecting the three Game Changers was incredibly easy. The One Ring is easy to abuse in this deck since you can bounce it to hand for almost unlimited protection. It's no Teferi's Protection, but this will draw you three cards, almost every time.

Aura Shards is great when you're playing a bunch of cheap creatures and it also has some synergy with the enchantments. And Thassa's Oracle is both a win con and value piece. Some other options I considered were Seedborn Muse and Grand Arbiter Augustin IV.

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The Combos

Infinite Card Draw

The first combo is the cheaper of the two. You'll need Displacer Kitten and Teferi, Time Raveler with Sol Ring in hand. Cast Sol Ring, then blink Teferi with Kitten. Tap Sol Ring for two colorless mana. Then bounce Sol Ring to your hand with Teferi. Recast Sol Ring to blink Teferi. Repeat for infinite card draw as well as near-infinite storm count and colorless mana. Then you can cast Thassa's Oracle to win. I know Thoracle isn't the most exciting way to close out games, but it's efficient.

Infinite Turns

The second combo gives you infinite turns. All you need is Eternal Witness in play with Ephemerate and Time Warp in hand. You cast Time Warp to take an extra turn. Then you cast Ephemerate to blink Eternal Witness, returning Time Warp to your hand. On the next turn, you cast Ephemerate from exile, blinking Eternal Witness and returning Ephemerate to your hand. Now repeat for infinite turns. The biggest issue with this combo is how mana intensive it can be. You need at least six mana, with two being blue and one being white.

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The Deck List

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Conclusion

I think Pixie is an incredibly underexplored archetype in Commander and I'm excited to see what the community thinks of this list. If you're looking for a unique combo deck that can grind out games, then you need to give this a try.

I'd love to hear what you think of the deck and what other commanders I should try building a Pixie deck around. Do you think this archetype is underexplored, or not worth the trouble?

Alrighty nerds, I'll see you in the next one!